As you can see, there is much love from the Audi/VW owner segment. It exists for a reason. You have done your homework. Drive on...By the way, Audi sales are up something like 7%
Audi A4 issues and problems?
- Thread starter Russell
- Start date
- Status
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
- Messages
- 23,591
There has not been a single recall for the 2004 A4. In comparison, almost 130,000 2004 Toyota Camry were recalled for side and window air bag issues and another 150,000 Camry were recalled for seat buckles during the same time. The 2004 Honda Accord has had EIGHT recalls so far.
Last edited:
I agree with Quattro Pete on this one. However, I will say that I have known 6 people with Audi's and they are absolutely atrocious when it comes to reliability. VW over the last 6 years (IMO) has been horrible with reliability issues. I don't know anyone that has not had major issues with a VW product.
Nice cars though! Love the looks and performance.
Nice cars though! Love the looks and performance.
I owned the A4 for 5 years. During that time I had no major issues with it, and very few minor issues too - buzzing speaker and a failed turn signal relay. Everything else was standard maintenance. The coilpacks were replaced under the service action, although none of the original ones ever failed on me.
On the other hand, the e39 is proving to be very problematic over those few months that I've owned it.
That's right. The Lexus is about plain luxury. The Germans are about sporty handling in addition to luxury.
Alternator at 180k miles (a VW weak item)
Starter at 209k miles (discretionary, it worked fine but was very noisy)
Clutch at 212k miles (with upgraded kit to handle extra power)
Othewise just maintenance... oil changes every 10k miles. My Golf has never left me stranded.
Quattro Pete. I think at some point I want a 2003 e39 540i sport ot a 530i sport with automatic. However, I realize the e39 has both generic BMW issues and issues specific to the e39. However, what worries me is the lower level of care these cars are getting due to bmw's "free" maintenance with longer intervals before service. I am not so sure they make good used cars especially when they get over 100,000 miles. I will not buy one unless I can see the records and have it inspected.
BTW, the audi dealer is treating my daughter very well. It also has 50,000 miles of zero cost maintenance. The records showed only scheduled maintenence and a water hose connector.
BTW, the audi dealer is treating my daughter very well. It also has 50,000 miles of zero cost maintenance. The records showed only scheduled maintenence and a water hose connector.
I kind of thought the same and that's why I looked for a low-mileage one. Mine had 30K miles when I bought it 5 months ago. The service records looked OK. Still, I guess that is no guarantee of trouble-free ownership. At the end of the lease, the car was sold at an auction as opposed to being offered as a BMW CPO'd vehicle. Possibly it was not good enough to be a CPO, for whatever reason.
The engine is mechanically sound, but electrical gremlins are plenty. Within a few months of purchase, my A/C fan (cabin ventillation) started acting up, some pixels in the center console went dead, passenger occupancy sensor failed (results in the airbag light being lit on the dashboard), and some of the electric passenger seat adjustments stopped working. One of the rear windows doesn't operate sometimes either. Some interior creaks/rattles have also appeared. Like I said, it's nothing that will prevent you from driving the car, but if you're anal about every little thing being fully functional, it'll irritate you nonetheless and cost you a pretty penny if you decide to have it fixed.
Last edited:
QuattroPete- well, according to the articles I linked in above posts, MB and Audi do not agree with you. Both are trying hard to match Japanese reliability, with MB even using Lexus reliability as a goal and Audi having monthly meetings to study quality problems and make changes if necessary.
I guess your black and white, performance OR reliability mindset only makes sense to you.
My last A4, a 1999 V6 Wagon, had ZERO warranty repairs over 3yr/50k. My Japan-made Acura with the same warranty has had NUMEROUS problems. Mom's 1996 Passat has had lil more thn brakes and a muffler. Most repairs are "optional" where the owner chooses to keep their car 100% perfect or even better than new. Many "problems" with a German car would simply be overlooked on others and frankly, American cars are often not worth repairing. My BiL's junked 1999 LeSabre with a spun bearing is parked on his front yard and a "newer" identical one replaced it. Peeling paint is the visual hallmark of GMs from that era. Stupid is as stupid does.
Oh really? Where in your post or the blurb from the article does it say Audi is gunning for the Japanese on quality? That is a subscription only article so if it says it, none of us would know about it. So based on what you *posted*, all it says is Audi is trying to improve quality.
Newsflash: Every manufacturer tries to improve quality. You haven't provided any revolutionary information here. The real question is whether that is the *primary* factor they are going to stake their reputation on. Reliability is obviously the selling point for the Japanese. The Germans emphasize handling and driving dynamics and don't push or advertise reliability as the main selling point. Germans pretty much strive for good enough and put their resources elsewhere. Get it?
Problems with my Passat:
1. AM radio went out at 22K.
2. Cruise control went out at 12K.
3. A recall on coilpacks (although they never failed on me).
4. A recall for a heat shield.
5. A bad headlight at 10k.
All fixed for free under warranty, no questions asked.
Based on what is written in Consumer Reports, on this forum and the Internet in general I ought to be in excellent physical condition from all the walking that I presumably must be doing. 2 VWs, one with the dreaded 1.8T, a BMW (my wife’s) and…an MGB. Yet not one has ever let me sit. And the VWs have been great cars (a 2000 Golf and a 2003 Passat).
When you really look at the reliability numbers the differences between the top and bottom of the charts is insignificant. The odds are that any modern car, properly taken care of, will provide reliable transportation for well past 100,000 miles. Luck certainly plays a part, though having a competent service facility is probably a very big part of the “luck” that one experiences. Parts cost is certainly a variable between makes. But basic reliability? I don’t see anything to support the bad reputation that some cars have.
I'm not saying reliability is totally neglected by the Germans. I am just saying, there is more to a car than reliability (which is not really that far off from Japanese in the grand scheme of things), at least to some people, and that is the market that the German makers go after. Once again, I refer you to the posts by Junior in the previous thread, as he explains it very well.
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
- Messages
- 23,591
Reliability is the smallest issue I have with Audi in the US. Lack of competent dealers, AoA's lack of customer service, inability to supply parts quickly and parts prices that are up to 6x higher than what the same part costs in Germany are what I find problematic and why I will most likely not ever buy another new Audi in the US. However, going by how my Audi is holding up rather well, I won't have to shop for a new car for another 150k miles.
What might be a pain to fix in N.A., might be a breeze in Europe, with a greater pool of resources such as mechanics and parts etc.
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
- Messages
- 23,591
Audi having to order simple parts from overseas and those parts routinely getting hung up in customs (for up to two weeks) is preposterous. To charge $20 for a 3.50 Euro part is insane. I almost always circumvent the US dealer now when I need a part. I don't want to give them any money anymore.
Last edited:
Good points. Another thing is that the major problems identified by CR and others in VW/Audis in recent years are either preventable or involve a simple fix. The coilpacks require one visit to the dealer and that problem is done for good. The sludge problem simply requires an owner to use an oil specified in the owners manual. These problems pale in comparison to unpreventable problems like Honda/Acura transmissions.
Russell, your daughter's A4 sounds like a good choice to me. They are regarded as quite safe and that, I'm sure, is the most important.
I had a 2002 A4 with the CVT transmission and I loved the ride, but the Quattro is regarded as a better car (I feared an $8000 CVT failure). I do know that my dealer became savvy to the sludge issue in 2004 and began to run synthetic from then on - so you should be in a better situation than I was. My oil cap looked kind of sludgy by the time I sold it in 2007 and that might have been because of dino oil they used in the first two years,
One thing I hated about the A4 was peeling buttons on the interior. Although the A4 has the best interior in any car, it doesn't last very long in some. The next time you're driving by that stretch of road in your city where all the small dealers put the 02 and 03 Audi's, just off lease in front for sale, stop by and look at what’s possible to the interior of these cars that aren't good enough for the dealers to sell. You'll see that the 'soft touch' plastics on and around the radio and window switches are peeling down to the white plastic underneath, making the car look very junky.
I took care of my A4 and the peeling wasn’t nearly as bad as other A4’s I saw, but buttons started looking bad at around 4 years. I suspected that the interior could only get worse – my friend’s 2006 VW Jetta had a few peeling switches from trying to clean off a dirty spot. Be careful when you’re detailing these areas.
My A4 ownership experience has been less than stellar out of warranty. Although I had no serious issues in the 5 years I owned it, I feel that it just isn’t a car for the long run. Potential sludge and expensive transmission repairs, funky electrical problems, and the degradation of the once sexy interior took me off the idea that that car would last a long time.
I had a 2002 A4 with the CVT transmission and I loved the ride, but the Quattro is regarded as a better car (I feared an $8000 CVT failure). I do know that my dealer became savvy to the sludge issue in 2004 and began to run synthetic from then on - so you should be in a better situation than I was. My oil cap looked kind of sludgy by the time I sold it in 2007 and that might have been because of dino oil they used in the first two years,
One thing I hated about the A4 was peeling buttons on the interior. Although the A4 has the best interior in any car, it doesn't last very long in some. The next time you're driving by that stretch of road in your city where all the small dealers put the 02 and 03 Audi's, just off lease in front for sale, stop by and look at what’s possible to the interior of these cars that aren't good enough for the dealers to sell. You'll see that the 'soft touch' plastics on and around the radio and window switches are peeling down to the white plastic underneath, making the car look very junky.
I took care of my A4 and the peeling wasn’t nearly as bad as other A4’s I saw, but buttons started looking bad at around 4 years. I suspected that the interior could only get worse – my friend’s 2006 VW Jetta had a few peeling switches from trying to clean off a dirty spot. Be careful when you’re detailing these areas.
My A4 ownership experience has been less than stellar out of warranty. Although I had no serious issues in the 5 years I owned it, I feel that it just isn’t a car for the long run. Potential sludge and expensive transmission repairs, funky electrical problems, and the degradation of the once sexy interior took me off the idea that that car would last a long time.
I have a 97 BMW M3 sedan and I don't buy the excuses. Engineers should do their job, not justify themselves.
My M3 has many problems, not related to being an M3, but simply common and numerous 3-series problems all the way to 2004. It is simply pathetic. Suspension, electrical, improper oil pan, body hardware, worn gearshift bushings. What is this a Chrysler K-car? It is a 70k life car that needs a frame-up restoration, like a race car.
It isn't the performance parts, its the basic stuff.
It is one of the best driving cars I have ever driven, but it is a pile of shortcuts and self-justfied overengineering.
I used to not like American cars (and still don't like many), but my Ford Ranger is far better built than this nonsense as a daily driver.
NEver again.
My M3 has many problems, not related to being an M3, but simply common and numerous 3-series problems all the way to 2004. It is simply pathetic. Suspension, electrical, improper oil pan, body hardware, worn gearshift bushings. What is this a Chrysler K-car? It is a 70k life car that needs a frame-up restoration, like a race car.
It isn't the performance parts, its the basic stuff.
It is one of the best driving cars I have ever driven, but it is a pile of shortcuts and self-justfied overengineering.
I used to not like American cars (and still don't like many), but my Ford Ranger is far better built than this nonsense as a daily driver.
NEver again.
- Status
Similar threads
